Friday, March 27, 2009

Spaghetti Squash (Naturally Gluten Free)

I have found a new reason to love spaghetti. Not that I really needed another reason, I've always loved spaghetti... but following a low carb diet means no noodles, not even gluten free ones. Just sauce.

And who wants just sauce? Even good sauce?

Enter spaghetti squash. I really thought it would be awful. I tried it once before a few years ago, and it didn't go over well. Michael wouldn't eat it. I ate it, but not joyfully.

And you need to enjoy it if you're going to eat it on a regular basis.

I truly misjudged spaghetti squash. It really needed a 2nd chance. I wish I had given it a second chance sooner!

One forkful of truly well-roasted, tender, al dente spaghetti squash, and I am a convert. It is simply that good. Very good indeed. As a matter of fact, I love it so much now, I'll eat it plain with a splash of olive oil and just a touch of freshly grated nutmeg. Oh my. It's seriously mouth-watering my friends!

Don't believe me? Try it once (unless you're my husband)... and I can almost bet that you'll be adding spaghetti squash to your weekly grocery list.

Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Split the spaghetti squash in half with a very sharp knife. Scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff (i'm sure there is a better term for this, but I can't think of one at the moment). Place the two sides skin down in a large baking dish. Drizzle 3-4 tablespoons of good olive oil over the two peices of squash. Sprinkle several teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper and sea salt over the squash. Finally drizzle about 1/4 cup of water over the two pieces of squash and add the remaining 1/4 cup of water to the baking dish (this will help to steam the squash.) Roast in a 350 oven for 35-50 minutes until the edges of the squash are just turning slightly golden and caramelizing. Remove from oven and allow to cool in baking dish for several minutes. Using a folk, scrape out strands of spaghetti squash. I usually make my squash first, and then place the roasted strands in a covered, insulated dish to stay warm while I make my sauce.

Oh... what?... You wanted to know how to make the incredible looking sauce in the picture above? Well, you'll have to go visit Pioneer Woman for that amazing recipe! Just use spaghetti squash as your base instead of linguini.

11 comments:

We were already planning on spaghetti squash for dinner tonight - and now your delicious post gives me a great new sauce idea! I don't have the patience (or upper body strength) to split then roast the squash. I stab it all over to create steam vents - then microwave it in 5 minute intervals (turning between cycles) until it cracks open. You can still easily scrape out the seeds and strings before pulling out the "noodles." I usually cook it for a few minutes in non-stick pan with some olive oil and garlic before topping with sauce. So good! I love your site!!

Hey GLG! I recently moved to the Asheville area, and @gfhomemaker suggested I get in touch with you about support groups/info. (After following your blog for months, you would think I would realize that you live in NC. I blame ADD) I'm on twitter (@joycatherine), and would love to get in touch with you!